Substances stored in containers may have properties or attributes associated therewith such as weight, volume, color, texture, outgases, pressure, and temperature. Depending on the substance and the attributes being observed, these attributes may remain constant over time even given varying environmental conditions or may vary over time or as result of specific conditions. Many other substances, especially perishable substances, may have attributes that change over time and change due to varied environmental conditions in a manner that indicates their suitability or unsuitability for an intended purpose.
Certain changes to the attributes of a substance may indicate that the substance will soon be unsuitable or is now unsuitable for its intended purpose. Changes in certain other attributes, such as weight or volume, may indicate information about the rate at which the substance is being consumed or may be indicative of a need to replenish the substance. Still other changes in attributes may be indicative that a substance that required some active or passive processing before it would be suitable for some purpose has completed the process.
When storing a substance in a container, it may be difficult or time consuming to ascertain whether the attributes of the substance have changed. A sample of the substance may have to be removed from the container prior to testing the attributes for any changes or a measurement device may have to be manually inserted into each container to measure an attribute. Such a task may be problematic if the container is inaccessible or if a large number of containers and readings are required. It may be impossible or prohibitively expensive to accomplish the task. Additionally, simply opening the container to remove a sample or to measure an attribute may unfavorably alter the environmental conditions of the substance and may accelerate its loss of a desirable quality over time. Even if the information may be readily obtained from container, it may not be available when needed, such as during a shopping trip to replenish supplies.
Furthermore, the environmental conditions inside containers are affected and determined by the environmental conditions outside of the container and the characteristics of the container and any sealing feature of the container. It may be advantageous to alter environmental conditions within the container when certain attributes of the substance change or at certain times in the life cycle of the substance. It may also be advantageous to alter the environmental conditions within the container when the environmental conditions outside of the container change. Such alterations to environmental conditions may involve temperature, pressure or humidity changes, imparting mechanical energy to the substance, or providing chemical additives to the environment within the container.
It may further be advantageous to observe an attribute of the substance before, after and/or during the alteration of the environmental conditions within the container. For instance, testing may reveal that an environmental alteration process may need to be activated on a periodic basis. However, such a periodic process may have varying results and may be better regulated if the device driving the process is able to regulate the process as different conditions arise, which conditions might be detected by a sensor detecting an attribute of the substance.
Additionally, there are a wide variety of containers, substances and intended uses for substances. Non-modular sensors/controls may not be suitable for multiple containers/substances, since they may lack versatility and use across multiple applications. There are a wide variety of attributes that may be observed, depending on the substance, its intended use, and the needs and preferences of the user. Even where the same attribute is of interest, such as amount of substance, different measurement techniques may be appropriate depending upon whether the substance is a liquid, a powder or collection of larger solid objects, such as medicinal pills. There are a wide variety of ways in which the environment within a container may be modified, depending on the life cycle of the substance and the environment in which the substance is stored.